One of the funniest comedians in this country did a sketch years ago which made me deeply happy. It took place in an advertising agency, where a bluff northern client had come for a presentation. It is hard to parody …
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Here’s a foolproof way to screw up a good service – Bill Bernbach in reverse
The late Bill Bernbach once remarked that nothing kills a bad product faster than good advertising. Absolutely true: the better a product is advertised, the faster people will try it and discover it is rubbish, thus hastening its demise. But …
Read MoreWhy most (not some) marketers stumble around in a fog of misapprehension. – and a free webinar that may help
As I have noted before, the marketing press never fails to provide me with a rich compost of the ludicrous. Australia’s AdNews did not fail me this morning with a piece that enlightened me as follows: Telstra’s director of brand …
Read MoreI almost applied for this job
Creative Writer Required (London)I am looking for a creative writer to fill out job applications and send my CV on for PAID positions. You will be: smart, have a knowledge of the current employment market and have contacts within the …
Read MoreA little Aussie frivolity. Stop me if you’ve heard it.
An Aussie truck driver walks into an outback cafe with a full-grown emu behind him. The waitress asks them for their orders. The trucker says, ‘A Hamburger, Fries and a Coke,’ and turns to the emu, ‘What’s yours?’ ‘Sounds great, …
Read MoreOh dear! Tom McPhail gives me a spanking – and rightly, too, but there’s a lesson for you
If you follow finance in this country you’ll almost certainly run across the name Tom McPhail. He is the leading spokesman for Hargreaves Lansdown, a firm I dash off the odd paragraph for, and is constantly being quoted in the …
Read MoreA rich seam of intellectual sewage: the vagaries of corporate advertising
For years I wrote six pieces a month for various marketing publications. Come to think of it, I now do more, but they’re on line. Someone once asked how I managed it, and I replied: “Easy. I only have to …
Read MoreA rich seam of intellectual sewage: the vagaries of corporate advertising
For years I wrote six pieces a month for various marketing publications. Come to think of it, I now do more, but they’re on line. Someone once asked how I managed it, and I replied: “Easy. I only have to …
Read MoreGood stuff from Harvey Mackay if you want to succeed – and a reader scolds me
I often quote Harvey Mackay’s remark that something you know about your customer may be more important than anything you know about your product. He just sent out something excellent headed “The most valuable card in your wallet” which opened …
Read MoreThe absurd inflation of the meaningless: what are you selling – bricks or hot air?
Today I am off to the Ogilvy offices in Manhattan to meet the man who won a contest to find the world’s greatest salesperson. His task was to sell a brick, and I hope to find out how he did …
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